the upper river: our next big development …...enters service in 1958 – the age of cheap...

The Upper River: Our next big development opportunity?

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016CenterPoint Energy


Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership Nov. 15, 2016

© PETER HENDEE BROWN 2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

• Nine years• 150 interviews• 3,500 news articles• Countless master plans, project

proposals, annual reports, capital and operating budgets, legislative acts, etc.

• One book• Four Stories• Ten Basic Lessons


America’s Waterfront Revival


A Brief History of the Waterfront: 5,000 BCE to Present


Disruptive Innovation

• Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956– $21B and 41,000 miles of new highways– The “rails to rubber” movement accelerates

• The Boeing 707 enters service in 1958– The age of cheap transatlantic air travel

begins– The end of passenger liners means

redundant berths• Malcolm McLean invents the shipping

container– Cranes replace longshoreman– The cost of shipping plunges– A new kind of port

• Dilapidated marine terminals and docks

• Large underutilized industrial land areas

• Sparse infrastructure or, no infrastructure at all

• Mismatch between existing institutional framework and the new problem/opportunity

• The rise of the diversified waterfront begins


Industry moves away from the urban waterfront, but what is left behind?

From 95% of Shipping to 5% in 10 Years

• Since the 1960s our idea of the waterfront has changed fundamentally:– Was city’s loading dock,

dirty, unsafe, polluted, back door, necessary industrial infrastructure

– Now park, recreation, views, environment, valuable amenity owned by all citizens


A New Paradigm

Bohemian Flats, Circa 1960.

• From Single-Purpose Industrial Use…

• …to Mixed Use/New Economy– Industrial (some stays)– Park/Recreation– Residential– Commercial– Industrial/Light assembly– Retail/Entertainment– Hospitality

• What’s our DNA?


The Uses Are the Key

From cargo to cruise port & tourism

• To the city,• Across the river,• And to the surrounding

community– Riverwalk and bike trails– Streets and highways– Physical, Visual– Economic, Social– Psychological, Emotional

• Bridges and distances are tough…


Connections Matter

A reach too far?

• Landscape Urbanism: New life for old infrastructure

• Visual connections AND physical connections

• Seek authenticity, grit, connections to the past

• Use history as a lens for looking into the future

• Design to attract support


Design for Authenticity

From abandoned pier to public park

• Don’t have to take the first…but can’t be too picky

• Resist highest & best use…but economics must work

• Some projects may be placeholders…for longer term vision

• The first project won’t be best…but it will attract the second project


Which Project Comes First?

From naval base to convention tourism

• Funding– Clean-up– Site/Marine Infrastructure– Parkland- Capital/OMP

• Intergovernmental Cooperation– City & MPRB– +/-25 Jurisdictions– Community organizations

• Political Will – Long run and first project– Politics can slow things down– Economic cycles are 5.6 years


The Public Sector’s Role is Critical

That beautiful land is so valuable…

• Past & Current Land Uses• Property Ownership• Existing Infrastructure• History and Culture • Nature and Recreation• Technological Innovation• Diversity of Users• Population Demographics• Authenticity• Slow, Incremental Change


Successful Riverfront Redevelopment Embraces:

• Planning: Think long-term/big picture but plan for incremental change

• Design: Design for place, authenticity, grit, connections to history

• Finance: Understand the infrastructure costs and seek creative funding strategies

• Politics: Promote projects that are realistic, fundable, non-controversial

= Vision


Plan for Implementation

Waterfront redevelopment is a labor of love

Minneapolis Riverfront PartnershipThe Upper River: Our next big development opportunity?

November 15, 2016

Unison2801 Pacific Ave N

Unison2801 Pacific Ave N

2013 2015

LifeSource2225 West River Rd N


Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016CenterPoint Energy

Thank you to our sponsors!

the upper river: our next big development …...enters service in 1958 – the age of cheap...

Documents